April 2012

Artist Interview

April 20, 2012

What's better than cozying up with a book, a soft blanket, and a hot tea on a rainy day? We know: listening to Winterpills, the Northampton-born band, who will be playing at Ode on our lucky Friday 13th in April. Flora Reed and Philip Price of the dreamy Winterpills let us into their world for a few brief beautiful moments:

Flora Reed and Philip Price of Winterpills

How did Winterpills get started?
The band started very casually in the fall of 2003 as a few friends hanging out after shows and playing cover songs -- lots of Beatles, Neil Young, The Magnetic Fields, Leonard Cohen. It was borne of a mopey, rough winter for some of us, a song circle of heartache that eventually became Winterpills.

What are some of your influences?
The Go-Betweens, Lisa Germano, Elliott Smith, Fleetwood Mac, Brian Eno, X, The Sundays.

Latest studio album from the Winterpills, all my lovely goners

What are your plans for the future?
Tour Europe, direct a movie, become master gardeners, raise a goat.

What is your dream project?
Build a memory farm in the desert.

What's your favorite line from a movie, song, or book?
Flora:
"Anthem" by Leonard Cohen
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.

Philip:
From "Fern Hill" by Dylan Thomas
Nothing I cared, in the lamb white days, that time would take me
Up to the swallow thronged loft by the shadow of my hand,
In the moon that is always rising,
Nor that riding to sleep

Photo Credit: Winterpills Flickr photostream

You’re building a robot. What does it do?
Philip: It's a sexy alarm clock. It can be either sex, and it can wake me up whenever it wants.

When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried?
The other night when we watched the Macy's Day Parade float warehouse sequence in "Broadway Danny Rose".

If you were a piece of clothing what would be and what color/pattern?
Flora: A black and white chevron scarf.
Philip: a single black tube sock.

Flora let us play dress up!
Photo Credit: Chattman Photography

Where do you find inspiration?
Farmers, teachers, babies.

What's the first line in a book about your life?
"It was decidedly not a dark and stormy night. It was actually a very sunny night, and the weather was fine. Only, it was really weird. Because it was night."